Just a little blog about housewifery, homeschooling, being Orthodox, and family life in general.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Kittyboy in church

When Kittyboy first came home from the hospital, church was his Happy Place. Only place he relaxed, slept without rocking, slept without WEIGHT, if he was a nightmare any given week at home, he'd be happy for about 3 hours Sunday morning. Ah, the many coffee hours spent with my forehead on a folding table, wishing we could move in...Anyhow, since he started moving, he's gotten more trying. He still LIKES church, but he does not care to be in one spot - or one pew - or even confined to one half of the sanctuary. He tries now and then to assist Fr. Anthony, he wants to go around and greet friends, he wants to be carried back and forth from icon to icon to icon, then he wants to go and Do Stairs. Doing Stairs is usually his reward for being goodish up through communion. If he's good until then, we call it quits after communion and go run laps of the basement. Keeping still until then, however, requires a morning routine involving lots - and Lots - and LOTS - of bouncing him on the trampoline. We leave about quarter til 10, and at about nine o'clock, one of us gets on the trampoline with him. We switch back and forth so we can both continue to get dressed, set up the diaper bag, etc. He gets bounced for a good half hour to an hour. Then, he is content for at least half an hour straight to either sit on my lap, sit next to me in the pew, or stand in front of me, with no problem.No trampoline - no such luck. This morning, we were so bushed, we didn't roll out of bed until 9. About 9:30, I bounced him for about five minutes, but then we were still trying to get things ready to go. So five minutes was all he got.So we spent more of church out than in. I have come to realize that this is not necessarily a Bad Thing, it just means he didn't get enough movement, and needs not met before church are met by pushing a folding chair around the basement, going up and down the basement stairs, speedwalking laps of the tables, and running back and forth on the steps outside. Perpetual Motion Boy. When he becomes an acolyte, my husband (acolyte-in-charge) will have him chipping wax off of things, polishing, etc. Kittyboy will be the one running and fetching and hauling whenever possible. Husband has an acolyte now who seems to require such activities, so hey, he's getting practice for keeping a perpetual motion child engaged and active. Things in the altar area will be nice and shiny!